Plans and Risks
by imthepunchlord
Summary: Adrien's pretty excited about this reveal, while Marinette's still unsure. And her butterflies are just as nervous as ever. Sequel to Oops.


Oh boy oh boy ohboyohboyohboy.

He had found Mariposa.

 _He found Mariposa._

 _He_ was about to go into _Mariposa's_ house.

He's actually been in there before!

To think she's always been right under his nose.

 _AND SHE EVEN STILL HAD MARI IN THE NAME!_

How could be so blind?!

Plus, now he had an official answer on why she always smelled so sweet, the few times they met up!

She smelled like cookies, and flour, and bread, and vanilla, and flowers because she lived in a bakery! And had a balcony garden!

And he was about to enter it!

"Are you going to go in or not?" Plagg grumbled from his pocket.

"I am," Adrien hissed back, his voice a little high in his excited stress. He just needed a minute. For this, this was Mariposa. The partner he _wasn't_ supposed to have. A partner not even _Plagg_ expected him to have.

Technically his true partner was Harlequin.

The currently evil lucky ladybug.

And Chat Noir was the only miraculous hero that was ideal in stopping Harlequin.

According to Plagg, only his bad luck could stifle the success of that good luck.

But as luck based miraculouses, it was all based on chance.

And by most of those chances, Harlequin either almost won or still got away.

Harlequin even almost got his ring once, the third time Adrien was fighting. He would have lost it had it not been for Mariposa, coming out of nowhere and surprising the lucky vigilante.

Her appearance was mystifying, even to his kwami.

 _"I thought the butterfly was lost,"_ Plagg told him when they got him. _"Nooroo hasn't been active in nearly three decades. It's surprising to see the Butterfly again."_

It made Adrien wonder for such a long time where the butterfly had been. How did Mariposa come to find it? How did Marinette come by it?

What made her decide to come help _him_?

Even more so when Plagg told him that the Butterfly is more of a solitary miraculous, keeping a distance and watching from the background, easily over looked. Plagg described them to be like a guardian angel, observing and nurturing; and has long since inspired growth of others. It was nearly unheard of for the Butterfly to flutter to another miraculous.

Particularly the Black Cat, having the power of bad luck and ruin.

 _"Nooroo always found me to be too_ 'discouraging' _,"_ Plagg had sneered one day when explaining more on the butterfly miraculous and it's heroes.

It just made the situation all the more intriguing to Adrien.

He jumped when he heard a window open, looking up to see Marinette peering down at him. "You coming up?" she called, raising a brow down at him.

With his eyes blown wide, Adrien excitedly asked, "Did you sense me?!"

Butterfly users felt other's emotions right? He believed? That's how they were so good at making Champions, he's sure of it. He wondered if Marinette was aware of him as he came down the street?

Could her senses go that far?

Could she pick up on just anybody in Paris?

Did she have a limit?

Did she-

"My little angels saw you coming," she told him. To back up her claim, one "little angel" fluttered out and landed on her top of her head, flashing it's white wings at Adrien.

The blond gave a happy gasp, beaming as he stared up at her. "You call them little angels?" he called. That was so cute! And endearing! And precious! And-

"Will you get up here!" she snapped, stuttering and red faced. She quickly withdrew and slammed her window closed, hiding in her room.

"Don't go overwhelming the butterfly kid," Plagg lightly scolds, snickering as Adrien blushed.

"Right," he uttered.

Whether she wanted to or not, she was in tune to what other's were feeling. For sure he was close enough that she could pick them up. Straightening up, he settled control over himself and slipped into the bakery, heading up stairs as he gave Tom a friendly wave.

Coming into the apartment, Sabine greeted him, "Hello Adrien."

"Madame Dupain-Cheng," he returned.

"Sabine is fine dear, are you here to see Marin-"

"Yes!"

Marinette rushed down the stairs to her room, grabbing the railing as she shot a light glare at her Maman. She had a slight blush on her cheeks. "It's school related," the dark haired girl stressed.

"Of course," Sabine bid, her light grey eyes lit with humor.

Marinette groaned, planting a hand on her warm face.

Adrien smiled sheepishly.

Sighing, Marinette grumbled, "Come on up." She turned to head up the steps, only to freeze. Slowly she turned, meeting the surprised eyes of Sabine.

Tilting her head, curious, Sabine stated, "You barely let Alya into you room." She spared a glance at Adrien, someone that's only been over once. Alya's been over far more, and she only got to go up once a blue moon.

"It's a school project," Marinette stated.

Sabine raised a higher brow.

"And she's making me a jacket," Adrien adds, "I'm here for her to do my measurements."

Marinette gave him a grateful smile.

"Alright," Sabine relents with a small, teasing smile. "Have fun you two. Be sure to behave. Let me know if you need anything."

Marinette pursed her lips before heading up, Adrien quickly following.

"That was close," he comments, closing the trapdoor behind him.

She huffed coming over and slouching in her desk chair. "Tell me about it," she grumbles. "We've had so many close calls with them, I'm lucky I'm able to sense when they're curious."

Speaking of curiosity, Adrien eagerly turned to her room, and awed gasp coming out of him. There were white butterflies _everywhere_. They fluttered about her room with lazy, carefree flaps; they rested on her walls and belongings, some even came to land on her as she leaned back in chair.

The whole place was calming.

It felt comforting, welcoming.

This, this felt like home.

"Don't get too comfortable," Marinette voiced, drawing Adrien out of his reverie. She eyed him warily, blushing slightly. "I'm not interested in adopting any strays."

Adrien stuck his tongue out. "I'm not a stray."

"You run around enough that it seems so."

"I think you know why."

She didn't answer, spinning her chair in a different direction.

Adrien moved to come closer, only to stop when he noticed one of the little angels were coming to him. He held out his finger, watching with wide eyes as it landed on that finger, tapping it with it's feet and giving him a little kiss with it's curly tongue. "Marinette," he whispered excitedly, "one landed on me!"

"Yeah they do that," she responded.

"They view you as a friend!"

He looked up, seeing a light purple kwami smile down at him. He swooped down and stopping before Adrien, he gave him a polite and eager bow. "Welcome Chat Noir, it is an honor to officially make your acquaintance."

"You're Nooroo?" Adrien asked, grinning.

The kwami nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Plagg cuts in, zipping out and flying towards Marinette. "I"m Plagg, nice to finally meet ya _Mari_ posa."

She cracked a smile, her gleaming. "Nice to finally meet you Plagg. I can see how you can drive Nooroo up the wall."

"He's just so rude and insensitive!" Nooroo called.

"And you're too sensitive! This guy cries at everything! That stupid kiss in mushy movies! And hilarious tragedies, and ugh, reunions."

"They're beautifully done!" Nooroo cried in defense.

Rolling his eyes, Plagg dove up to explore, ignoring Nooroo as he followed, pleading, "Don't go messing anything up! We got a nice place here!"

Left alone, Adrien sat in a chair beside Marinette, his smile growing as more and more butterflies came to land on him. It was a pleasing tickle to feel them on his skin. This was so cool!

"You can't come over here too often," Marientte said, snapping Adrien to attention.

"Huh?"

"Harlequin can track you," Marinette explains, eyeing him calmly, her eyes calculating. Adrien figured it was a butterfly thing. She had to be calculating and sure of herself in order to persuade people to her cause, to step up and help him against an all lucky villain. "If Chat Noir's always in this area..."

"How about Adrien?" he asked.

"You know Harlequin's watching the school."

And they don't hang out as much as friends.

That'd be noticeable shift.

"We could publicly build up the friendship," he offered. He really didn't know if he could bring himself to stay away now that he found her, now that he knew. The few times he's been in both Mariposa and Marinette's presence, they were calming and supporting. He felt secured. It was like having a warm blanket wrap around him. Maybe it was partly due to the affection he held to her, but he really couldn't imagine himself straying too far from her.

She turned away with a slight blush. He could barely hear her gulp. "M-maybe," she uttered. The little angels flew to her, crowding on her shoulders. It seemed like they were nuzzling her.

Adrien wished he could take a picture.

It was a pretty sight to see her covered in white butterflies.

Only to be ruined when Plagg dropped on her head, scattering the startled butterflies and howling as the darted away.

"Plagg!" Adrien scolds sharply.

Nooroo fluttered frantically in the background. "It's ok! It's ok!" he cried, "He's not going to ruin you! That was just a mean joke! Plagg apologize right now! Oh it's ok! Marinette will throw that mean cat out if he hurts you!"

Adrien glared at the still snickering kwami, now lounged out on Marientte's head, hugging his sides. "It never gets old," Plagg declared.

"Little shit," Adrien muttered.

Marinette snorts, plucking the kwami off her head and setting him in her palm, pursing her lips at him. He just grinned, peering back at her. "You are a little imp," she mused.

"That's what I've been telling you!" Nooroo cried from above.

Plagg simply smiled. "I'm a being of misfortune and mischief. It's a must."

"I'm so sorry," Adrien sighed, taking Plagg and setting him in his pocket, where he should stay. Why did he always have to get him into some sort of trouble?

"It's fine," Marientte eased, "they'll get over it. These guys kinda freak out over the smallest things." Already he notes they were starting to calm down, resettling on her, flicking their wings nervously.

Adrien sadly noted that they didn't come back to him.

Maybe it was because he had Plagg.

"We can do that," Marinette said.

Adrien blinked at her.

"Gradually meet up more, as you and me, not as our hero personas. I, I rather not fight Harlequin again." They discovered that butterflies were not ideal combat wise. Harlequin was far more physical than Mariposa, thankfully Mariposa was far more evasive than the red miraculous vigilante. "We got to meet up anyway, plan how to get those earrings."

"Just be patient," Plagg states, peeking out of Adrien's pocket. "Good luck always runs out at some point. Especially when having a lucky streak. And Harlequin's been lucky in evading us."

Nooroo adds, dropping down, "And that luck will run dry."

"Just got to be patient," Plagg repeats.

"I'm fine with that," Adrien bids, flashing Marientte a charming smile. "So long as you're there watching my back."

She returned it. "Of course," she promised.

Mariposa was a beacon in the shadows, watching, supporting, and encouraging. She wasn't going to let someone abuse their good luck for their own selfish means and ruin her home. It was decided the day she accepted Nooroo's request to help Chat Noir against Harlequin. Even if the Black Cat hadn't wanted her help, she wasn't going to back down at let the vigilante run free.

Neither she or the city they lived in.

They were going to take down Harlequin with all that they had.

They all had Chat's back in this.


End file.
